[All-Seeing Eye] notification.
The timing was a little too perfect.
Herman wasn't about to stop this exhilarating battle just yet. The mission was already complete, and the reward wouldn't disappear just because he hadn't checked it.
He ignored the [All-Seeing Eye] prompt for now and continued to enjoy the Fire Fox's challenge. Under Bullet Time, Fox's skills were truly exceptional—she could precisely sense Herman's "weak points" and strike at them with relentless ferocity.
To be fair, women who could curl their tongues did seem to gain a certain boost in combat prowess.
About ten minutes later, Fox somehow produced a glass of ice water and began using it as part of a magical attack. The alternating waves of heat and cold were astonishingly effective. Even someone as powerful as Herman found himself frowning at the troublesome sensation.
"I've been working on some new techniques lately," Fox said, her voice slightly muffled—probably because she was eating something.
"Well, I'm looking forward to seeing them."
Herman activated his [One-Second Disguise] ability, instantly stripping away unnecessary restraints. To keep the sounds from leaking outside the office, he deftly locked the door with telekinesis and turned on the TV.
[Clean Energy Revolution! The Miracle of Stark Industries! The Future is Here! We'll soon bid farewell to the greenhouse effect caused by excessive carbon emissions!]
[The war between Belarus and Russia continues. Yet, as peace talks approach, a bizarre commercial from the Belarusian president's early career has gone viral online.]
[The missing museum mummy remains unaccounted for after several days of investigation. Who stole our newly acquired national treasure?]
[A famous actress cheats with her husband's brother and becomes pregnant with his child. What will become of her future?]
[The newly opened "Light Bar" in Los Angeles has received rave reviews from young patrons—though its handsome owner's name is said to be the height of chuunibyou flair!]
[Shocking! A frozen city has appeared in Belarus! Experts suspect it may be the result of a mysterious weapon secretly developed by Russia!]
…
On the television, a series of recent news reports played—among them, live broadcasts covering the frozen city of Belarus.
Herman, preoccupied with dealing with the Fox, paid no attention to what was on the screen. He had turned on the TV merely to cover up the Fox's noises.
On the television, a series of recent news reports played—among them, live broadcasts covering the frozen city of Belarus.
Herman, preoccupied with dealing with Fox, paid no attention to what was on the screen. He had turned on the TV merely to cover up Fox's noises.
After all, once Herman started to fight back, given Fox's constitution... it would end up in agony.
The battle lasted for more than an hour before it finally ended—naturally with Fox's new move still unable to break through Herman's defenses. Fox had arrived quietly and left the same way, leaning against the wall with something stuffed in her mouth.
Originally, the fight could have dragged on much longer, but Herman was mindful of his identity mission, so he increased his output and finished it quickly.
"So it really is the newspaper task," Herman muttered, checking through the [All-Seeing Eye]. A Bronze-tier mission had indeed taken up a lot of time.
[Identity Exclusive Mission: Turn Losses into Profits. Restore The Daily Bugle to greatness and make it the best-selling newspaper in all of New York.]
[Mission Reward: You will obtain an ancient secret.]
Although the [Newspaper Boss] identity was only Bronze-tier, Herman had spent considerable effort over the past few days completing its exclusive mission.
First came Spider-Man's exclusive "gossip" scoop, then enlisting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help—only then was this Bronze-tier identity mission finally completed.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. had recently gone all out with their "demolition tactics," using other media outlets to promote The Daily Bugle. They hyped up reports that the government was about to requisition the Stellar Tower, claiming that the floors occupied by The Daily Bugle would receive billions in subsidies.
Together with various half-truths and outright fabrications, S.H.I.E.L.D. hired massive online armies to spread the ridiculous idea that reading The Daily Bugle would bring good luck. Using marketing tricks learned from China, they managed to make The Daily New York one of the city's top-selling newspapers.
While the mission sounded simple on paper, Herman found it far more tedious than even a Gold-tier assignment.
"Hopefully this so-called secret isn't just something I already knew," Herman said as he accepted the reward from the [All-Seeing Eye].
As the [All-Seeing Eye] glowed, a single line appeared in his mind—short but mysterious:
[When the stars align, the secret shall be revealed.]
The cryptic message came with a set of Earth coordinates.
"The stars align? Cthulhu awakening?" Herman had expected to gain knowledge directly, not to go searching for it himself.
"This place... is Great Britain."
He rummaged through his office drawer and pulled out a world map he'd bought for scriptwriting. Soon, he located the coordinates—London, England.
Since he had never been there before, he couldn't use the Raven's teleportation ability. Instead, he teleported to the outskirts of New York and flew straight into space.
It was certainly a unique way to travel. Floating high above the atmosphere, Herman gazed down at the blue planet, pinpointing the location of Great Britain.
Using eyes capable of seeing every street on Earth, he locked onto the coordinates marked by the [All-Seeing Eye] in London. Then, he dove back into the atmosphere, descending rapidly toward the city of London.
Was that a meteor?
"What the hell kind of meteor is this in broad daylight!"
"Meteorite! It's a meteorite!"
Passengers aboard a plane witnessed Herman plummeting toward London, though they couldn't see clearly what exactly had crashed into the city.
Because of the friction with the atmosphere igniting the surrounding oxygen, flames still clung to Herman's body as he fell, unable to extinguish in time.
Of course, those flames couldn't burn through his clothes, since he had already changed into his black Superman suit before flying into space.
"This is the spot."
Herman slowly landed on the rooftop of a building. The coordinates marked by the [All-Seeing Eye] were precisely located here.
"Looks like an unfinished building." Herman walked down through the rooftop door, realizing the place was completely uninhabited. The entire structure hadn't even been decorated yet—it still looked like bare concrete everywhere.
It must have originally been planned as some kind of office building. Fire safety signs lay discarded in the corners along the way down.
There weren't any partitioned rooms either. Everything of value had been stripped out, leaving only a group of junkies inside the abandoned structure.
"Hey! You in the flashy outfit! Got any goods on you?" A junkie lying on the ground spotted Herman coming down the stairs.
"His clothes are really cool."
Beside him, another high junkie stared at Herman in his black battle suit, laughing to himself with a dazed, unfocused look in his eyes.
Herman had no intention of paying them any attention and continued walking down. Just then, a burly man covered in tattoos rushed over.
"Kid, you look new around here. Hand over everything valuable you've got." Apparently, the man actually thought about robbing Herman.
Honestly, that was even dumber than trying to rob the Federal Reserve.
"Get lost."
Herman shot the man a glance.
A chill ran down the man's spine, and he instinctively backed away a few steps. He had no idea why, but as Herman continued heading downstairs, he quickly pulled out a pistol. "Listen, you'd better do as I say."
Probably angry at his own fear earlier, the man's voice turned harsh as he spoke, flicking off the safety on his gun.
"Why do some people always have a death wish?" Herman sighed under his breath. The man didn't catch what he said.
"Stop mumbling! Hand over your valuables! Or I'll feed you to those junkies who like men!"
The man's face twisted into a cruel grin as he prepared to keep threatening Herman—only to suddenly realize he couldn't speak anymore.
"Hmph."
Herman pushed aside the immobilized man and kept walking down the stairs. He didn't look back.
Behind him, the man's terrified eyes widened as his body began to move against his will. His trembling hand lifted the pistol and slowly pressed the barrel into his own mouth.
Bang!
A deafening gunshot echoed through the building. Blood and brain matter splattered across the wall behind him, painting a grotesque pattern.
The man's body collapsed, eyes still wide open in death. In his dull, lifeless pupils, Herman's figure disappeared around the corner of the stairwell.
"I think I know what this place is." Herman reached the bottom floor, stepping into a wide, empty area.
Piles of construction debris surrounded him. Using his sharp memory, Herman quickly recognized where he was.
From Thor: The Dark World.
The very place where Jane Foster and Darcy had discovered the anomalous energy field. Yes, the so-called "treasure" mentioned in the hidden clue was now obvious to Herman.
"The Aether... the Reality Stone!" Herman's expression froze in disbelief as realization struck him.
This was truly the reward for a Bronze-tier identity?
The Reality Stone—one of the six Infinity Stones!
It had appeared as a Bronze-level reward! Sure, it was indeed an ancient secret... but wasn't this a bit too ancient and powerful?
For a moment, the scene felt almost dreamlike.
When gathered together, the six Infinity Stones could unleash power strong enough to affect the entire Multiverse. Even individually, each one held enough strength to rival a Universal-level being—true artifacts of the cosmos.
To fully master a single stone meant possessing Universal-level power.
To command all six meant wielding strength beyond even most Multiversal entities. That was why Thanos could erase half the universe's population with a single snap—no Universal-level powerhouse could escape it.
"When the stars align..."
Herman repeated the message the [All-Seeing Eye] had given him earlier. The so-called alignment of the stars clearly wasn't referring to Cthulhu's awakening.
It described the moment when celestial bodies appeared in specific positions in the sky. Herman pulled his phone from the alternate dimension and checked the upcoming astronomical events. The next "alignment of the stars" was a little over a week away.
"Can't we get the gem now?"
Herman had long known that the Reality Stone existed on Earth, but he'd never been certain of its exact location. According to legend, Odin's father had personally sealed it away—and even Odin himself didn't know where that seal was placed.
Herman remembered that part of history clearly.
The Reality Stone originally belonged to the Dark Elves. Long ago, they had used the Aether to engulf the universe in darkness.
Displeased with the Dark Elves' actions, the gods of Asgard waged war against them. Odin's father personally led the campaign, eventually defeating and sealing the Dark Elves.
After the war ended, Odin's father sealed away the Reality Stone—known to the Dark Elves as the Aether—within a mysterious, hidden space on Earth, a place known to no one.
And that was precisely where Herman now stood.
The seal was indeed well-hidden.
Even standing at the very site of the seal, when Herman tried to sense the Reality Stone, he couldn't detect any anomalies—let alone break the seal and retrieve the stone.
"Looks like I'll have to wait a week..."
To Herman, obtaining the Infinity Stone wasn't something to rush.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. still had the Space Stone, and he hadn't exactly gone storming in to take it. Herman was the kind of man who believed true power should come from within. If not for the need to prepare against the future possibility of Thanos' snap, he probably wouldn't have much interest in the Infinity Stones at all.
In that sense, he wasn't so different from Odin.
The only difference was that Herman had understood this truth countless years earlier—the realization that external power was nothing more than a castle in the air, a dream destined to burst.
If not for this exclusive identity reward leading him to the Reality Stone's location, he might never have even thought about searching for it.
Still, he couldn't deny a certain curiosity.
Of the six Infinity Stones, the one that intrigued him the most was the Reality Stone.
Mind Stone, Space Stone, Time Stone, Power Stone—most of their functions were easy to understand in Herman's eyes. They simply pushed specific universal laws to their extreme.
Even the Soul Stone, often regarded as the most mysterious of all, merely granted the ability to control or destroy souls. As the [Lord of the Dead], Herman already possessed that power.
So naturally, he wasn't particularly curious about the Soul Stone's abilities. He could confidently say he understood souls better than anyone else—and because of his [Lord of the Dead] identity, he wasn't afraid of the Soul Stone's control or influence either.
Its power, like the others, was relatively straightforward.
Only the Reality Stone was different—its power was far more intricate, capable of turning the impossible into reality in an instant.
It could effortlessly alter the environment and space around it, not through illusion, but by transforming the user's imagination directly into reality.
Bold ideas would no longer remain just fantasies. With such a miraculous ability, what man wouldn't be tempted to test it out?
"Now you've got me tempted," Herman admitted with a faint smile. He wasn't particularly interested in the raw power of the Infinity Stones, but the idea of "testing bold thoughts" certainly piqued his interest.
Besides, just because he wasn't obsessed with the Stones didn't mean he'd turn down a free reward. It made no sense to complete an Identity Exclusive Mission and not claim its prize. Over the past few days, he'd been working nonstop to boost the newspaper's reputation—even helping S.H.I.E.L.D. resolve a diplomatic incident.
"Still can't sense it. Odin's old man really must've been powerful. I'll come back when the stars align again."
After taking one last look around, dark ravens began swirling at Herman's feet.
In the blink of an eye, he was back in New York.
"Time to reward the staff upstairs."
Having completed another Identity Exclusive Mission, Herman was in a good mood. He immediately instructed his financial manager, Carrie, to prepare generous bonuses for the newspaper employees.
He took the elevator up, planning to hand out the bonuses and then announce a new directive: from today onward, everyone's job would be to shape and promote his reputation in a positive light.
However...
The moment the elevator doors opened, Herman found himself face-to-face with an unexpected acquaintance.
...
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